Ben Franklin Autobiography Summary

The man Benjamin Franklin eventually became a man of good character and willingness to accept others. However, as the story of Ben Franklin unfolds you see he was indeed just a man. A man found to be of the same fault and human flaw as us all to which we were born, and that is into sin. Franklin as well as all people fell short. God told us in his word long before Ben Franklin ever existed. Romans 3:23 states “for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” (NIV). Franklin did prove however, by his own story that man could never be in a state of perfection. Franklin just came to terms that he was just a man, but strived to fight for what he thought was right to the end. Still God chose to bless him with privileged acquaintances.

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Benjamin Franklin was indeed a man who strove for self improvement. He may have stated why he pursued perfection very early on in the book with his admittance of errata in regards to his brother James, but more specifically from the book where he states that under Mr. George Brownell, directly from Franklin (1909) “ Under him I acquired fair writing pretty soon, but I failed in the arithmetic, and made no progress in it.”(9) This failure early on probably was the spark that started Franklin, who was marked as prideful to strive for self-improvement. Why would someone of such learning as Ben Franklin and success even mention something of this, especially if he learned the mathematical skill later? His mathematical failure coupled with his inability to manage his relationship with James only added to Mr. Franklin’s ability to see that he was not perfect. The mathematical failure and his brotherly problems along with his father’s torment of ridicule at his reading of poetry as mentioned on page thirteen of the book was enough damage to spark resentment also, and drive him to succeed at his endeavors at all cost. My life can personally attest to that resentment and driven nature. Very early on in my life I was told that a profession could not be had in the concrete industry, and yet I started my own business and very well advanced a successful business for many years. Although like Mr. Franklin our pride which spurs us on to greatness does not preclude us from failure and falls. Everyone we pass on the way up, we tend to pass on the way down. Benjamin Franklin wished that his story would serve as a model to others and be a testament to his blessings in life from God. Ben Franklin was indeed blessed, but he had to learn some hard life lessons. Franklins early exploits as a model to follow would hardly be a model of nothing more than a rambunctious young boy. Even Ben Franklin saw himself as a foolish young man by his admission of erattas, and not very wise to the world, although his pride would not let him admit it. Franklin leaned on the thoughts of Socrates as his ability to draw people out. This was only a practiced method and not that of being able to really read people. Franklin plainly gives testament to his shortcomings in his early character with his stories. There is nothing glorious when he eluded a verbal agreement with his brother James to finish out his indentured agreement. His brother James gave more credibility to Benjamin by striking an unwritten deal with Ben than Ben was deserving of. However, this tale would also give relevance to Gods word that you reap what you sow. It was not very long that Benjamin Franklin was reaping the harvest of his betrayal to his brother when he went to New York to gain employment and being labeled an Atheist. It was the start of his spiral down with one bad decision after another. Franklin’s exploits give self-evident truth to Gods word that God allows us free choice. Later on Benjamin Franklin displayed his own ignorance of the world and showed his real ignorance of people and the foolish decisions of a man that God allows us to make, so that we learn lessons. Although Ben Franklin modeled himself as a smart man,...

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...﻿Harry Walker
10/14/14
Mrs. Torres
English III Honors Period 3
BenFranklinAutobiography
B) Franklin’s goal was to seek moral perfection, this helped him come in contact with success,
although he did have many failures. In Franklin’s journey to reach perfection he ended up fixing
many problems. “While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was
often surprised by another.” Every time he fixed a problem a new one would occur.
This made him relies human perfection is not possible. On the positive side, along
his journey Franklin’s moral character improved and his determination and self-
discipline helped him become the famous man he has been all these years.
C) Franklin’s persuasive purpose in this autobiography excerpt was to make the reader
a more moral person and encourage them to be a better person. Franklin’s wise
words were meant to change the reader’s perspective on life. Such words as “Use no
hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.” Also
Franklin said, “Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.” Franklin,
overall wanted everybody to be the best they could possibly be.
D.) Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Success is a goal wished to be achieved by the most hopeful and aspiring individuals. Being placed in a high position in an eminent...

...follow, one must know a little more about his life. Born in Boston on January 17, 1706, Franklin would eventually become 1 of 17 children to his father who was only a soap maker. Benjamin Franklin grew up as a curious child, and one who loved to read and learn. After some tough trials and tribulations he ended up in Philadelphia where he found work as an apprentice printer. This was only the beginning for Franklin, as he went on to invent numerous things that changed the face of America. He and his wife Deborah Reed, who was also his childhood sweetheart, ran their own shop together as well as the print shop. He also signed the constitution and was an anti –slavery activist. Franklin died in1790 and at his funeral were 20,000 people. He had an electric personality that everyone attached to (ushistory.org).
In Franklin’s autobiography he first talks about success though failure that he experience because of his strong work ethic that is precisely American. For him to push though life when the going got tough or he wanted to quit is simply the American way. He rose from a lower socioeconomic class to a respectable man who was admired worldwide. This was a huge accomplishment for Benjamin Franklin and is another illustration what it means to be an American. Making a name for one’s self and having those types of opportunities that he had are what makes America so great. Franklin’s...

...﻿Assignment Breakdown – Essay Cycle 1
Due Dates
Proposal – on Blackboard Tues, 10/15
Enthymeme – on Blackboard Thurs, Oct 17 by 5 pm (after class)
Revised Enthymeme – in class and on Blackboard Tues, Oct 22
Essay 1.1 – via SafeAssign Thurs, Oct 24
Peer Revision Workshop – bring a hard copy of 1.1 with instructor comments to class Tues, Oct 29
Individual Meeting – in PLC 21 (time TBD) on Wed, Oct 30 and Thurs, Oct 31
Essay 1.2 – via SafeAssign Tues, Nov 2
Peer Review work – in class Tues, Nov 2
General Guidelines
For this paper, you will write an argumentative essay of 2000 words that makes a claim about any question at issue in response to our texts from Unit #1. You must support your claim with a reason presented in enthymeme form and must use evidence from at least one of these readings as support. You do not have to incorporate all of the unit’s texts.
The topic, issues, and ideas presented in this paper are yours! Your only limitation is your own creativity and imagination, provided that you significantly take up at least one of the essays we discussed in class. You must present and respond to at least one counter argument.
Source Use
Your paper must significantly incorporate the four essays assigned for Unit #1. By significant, I mean that you must incorporate more than two quotations or paraphrases –with accompanying analysis– from at least one of those works. It is your job to show how these texts support your claim – how does...

...BenFranklin
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father, Josiah Franklin, a soap and candle maker had 17 children. Benjamin was his very last child. Ben was removed at 10 from the Boston Latin School to work with his father at candle making, but dipping wax and cutting wicks didn’t spark with him. Later on, Josiah apprenticed Ben at 12 to his brother James at his print shop. Ben loved it, despite his brother’s hard treatment. When James refused to publish any of his brother’s writing, Ben adopted the pseudonym Mrs. Silence Dogood, and “her” 14 imaginative and witty letters were published in his brother’s newspaper. But James was angry when he found out the letters were his brother’s, and Ben left his apprenticeship shortly afterward, going to New York, but settling in Philadelphia, which was his home base for the rest of his life. In late 1727, Franklin formed the “Junto,” a social and self-improvement study group for young men, and early the next year was able to establish his own print shop with a partner. After publishing another pamphlet, "The Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency," Franklin was able to purchase The Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper from a former boss, and was elected the official printer of Pennsylvania.
He was also able to take...

...Amanda Benitez
English 1301
John Flickinger
February 10, 2013
Benjamin Franklin’s Philosophies
Benjamin Franklin was one of the greatest men to walk this earth. His accomplishments range from being a wonderful politician and statesman, to a scientist and an author. He also conquered many personal goals that made him a person that people sought to be around and to be like. In his early 20’s, Franklin decided that he wanted to become a “perfect” being. Following a list of 13 virtues, and other philosophies that we will look into, Franklin was able to accomplish much more than even he thought possible and this paper will explain some of the reasons why.
“The First American” is the title that Benjamin Franklin earned as an author, scientist, and an inventor and of course as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was born in Boston January 17, 1706. When he was a boy he worked in his brothers printing business and later went on to own his own printing establishment. This is when he published his famous work “Poor Richard’s Almanac’. Franklin was also respected for his scientific accomplishments, and is probably best known especially for electricity. Physics, oceanography, chemistry and even meteorology are just a few of all the other scientific contributions that Franklin made during his lifetime. As a politician, Franklin also was one of...

...According to BenFranklin
In 1771, BenFranklin began writing his Autobiography to his Son. In Franklin’s Autobiography, he explains to his son, on several different occasions, morality, virtues, and understanding the rules in which God intended us to follow to make us better humans. In this essay, I will point out incidents where BenFranklin was showing his son instances of morality and virtues to show him how self-restraint gives you freedom. Then I will give my opinion and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these morals and virtues that Franklin has expressed.
BenFranklin states in his autobiography that we should be “Free, as being, by the general practice and habit of the virtues, free from the dominion of vice” (95). Franklin talks of his best friend John Collins, a Clerk at the Post Office, and how his vice is drinking of alcohol and gaming (34). Franklin was very upset to learn of his childhood friends difficulty with drinking and gaming. He had hoped that they would be able to work together since Collins had a wealth of knowledge from reading and his “pretty” collection of books. Franklin wanted to help Collins, even wanted to take him with him to see the Governor of New York, but Collins was too drunk. Franklin had to...

...﻿
Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and Biography
American Writers to 1865
Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and Biography
Benjamin Franklin starts his autobiography with “Dear Son, I have ever had a Pleasure in obtaining any little antecdotes of my Ancestors. You may remember the Enquires I made among the Remains of my relations when you were with me in England; and the journey I took for that purpose (Franklin, 1771, p. 231).” Franklin was sixty five when he started his autobiography and wanted to pass on his family history. Part two of his autobiography started when friends contacted him while he was away in Paris in1783 pleading for him to continue his writings about his life to influence others. Franklin did not set out to make himself known through his autobiography but the encouragement of his peers had him writing an autobiography and his thirteen rules of virtues are included and well known. He wanted to live a virtuous life and gave himself some basic principles to follow called Thirteen Names of Virtues. Franklin claimed to be a Deist but if you read his thirteen virtues he seems more Christian than Deist in his virtues he says “Imitate Jesus and Socrates (Franklin, 1784, p. 285).” He includes Socrates because he was a scholar and the revival of...

...controversial issue has been whether it is better for people to learn through fear or through positive example. On the one hand, some argue that learning through fear teaches discipline. On the other hand, however, others argue that learning by positive example teaches nothing and is shortly forgotten. It appears that it is better to frighten the learner into making the right choice than to show them how it is done. Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” and Benjamin Franklin’s, “Autobiography,” portray how to succeed in the world in two completely different ways. Edwards speaks through an angry tone scaring the people to do well, while Franklin speaks using the toned voice of a caring person. Edwards uses frightening imagery to depict his thoughts, while Franklin tells stories of his own noble life to illustrate his thoughts. Edwards’ point of view is second person as in “you” where “you” will be in life if “you” don’t change, while Franklin teaches the reader how to get there based on his own experiences. By comparing Edwards’ and Franklin’s use of tone, image, and point of view the reader comes to see that it is better for people to learn through fear than example, because it will be instilled in their minds forever.
The tones each of the writers use are unique and convey different themes on how to be successful in the real world. Jonathan Edwards’ delivers his sermon,...